Tehran reveals more details on seizure of a British oil tanker

Tabnak – The seizure of a British oil tanker by the IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz has sparked a widespread international reaction. However, and despite some speculations, Iranian officials reiterate that the move has been based purely on legal foundations.

In this vein, Iranian authorities say the British oil tanker seized in the Strait of Hormuz was involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing boat and ignored its distress call before capture.

Allah-Morad Afifipoor, head of Ports and Maritime Organization in southern Hormozgan Province, said on Saturday that the 30,000-tonne UK-flagged Stena Impero tanker had "collided with a fishing boat on its route and, according to law, after an accident it is necessary that the causes are investigated."

Following the collision, those on board the fishing boat "contacted the British vessel but didn't receive any response," so they informed the Hormozgan maritime organization "according to the legal procedures," he added.

Afifipoor also noted that the tanker had been taken to Bandar Abbas port, where it and its crew will remain while a probe is carried out into the British vessel’s conduct. The tanker was not carrying any cargo, he said, adding the crew members of the ship may be interviewed on technical matters.

"The investigation into the cause of the accident has been started today," he said. “All its 23 crew members will remain on the ship until the probe is over."

"If necessary, and at the request of judicial authorities, the crew may be summoned for technical and specialist interviews," Afifpoor added.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the country’s military forces captured the British-flagged oil tanker to “uphold international maritime rules”.

“Unlike the piracy in the Strait of Gibraltar, our action in the Persian Gulf is to uphold int'l maritime rules. As I said in NY, it is IRAN that guarantees the security of the Persian Gulf & the Strait of Hormuz. UK must cease being an accessory to #EconomicTerrorism of the US,” Zarif tweeted on Saturday.

Other reports suggest that the tanker was captured by the Iranian military forces for three cases of violation of maritime law when it was passing through the high-traffic Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening:

The UK vessel had switched off its GPS locator, in contravention of international regulations, and was sailing into the strait in a wrong traffic pattern. The British tanker was entering the strait from the southern route, which is an exit path, increasing the risk of an accident. Moreover, Stena Impero had not heeded any of the warnings from the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization.